


hear you found a lynchpin to keep it all from falling apart

by thatsparrow



Series: mollymauk lives fest 2019 [6]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Mollymauk Tealeaf Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-06-27 21:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19798522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsparrow/pseuds/thatsparrow
Summary: "Alright, Tusktooth, you and I are having a chat.""What—now?""Yes, now. Before Avantika's got you back under her again."--written for day six of mollymauk lives fest: kindness





	hear you found a lynchpin to keep it all from falling apart

**Author's Note:**

> you kind have to squint a little bit to see the kindness in this (whoops—love missing the mark on a prompt). think of it more as molly acting from a place of kindness/concern for jester
> 
> title from "all arise!" by the decemberists

"Alright, Tusktooth, you and I are having a chat."

"What—now?"

"Yes, now. Before Avantika's got you back under her again."

Fjord flushes dark under the forest green of his skin, whole body tensing up like there's a current running through it.

"You know about that? I thought it was just Cad—"

"Is that really the hill you'd like to claim for yourself, Fjord? _I didn't think anyone knew_? Gods." Fjord's height outstrips his own by a head but Molly's got a dead-man's grip on Fjord's arm that makes up the difference, steering him down the hall until he sees the half-open door of a storage closet. He shoves Fjord inside and follows after, pulling the latch shut behind them.

"Fuck, Molly, what—"

"Do us both a favor and shut up for about five minutes." He drags over a barrel of ale and takes a seat on it, elbows resting on his knees. "Tell you the truth, Fjord, if this was just you fucking yourself over, we wouldn't be having this conversation—because you do know that's what you're doing, right? Tell me you at least know enough to see that you can't trust her; she'd have fed us all to that fucking hydra if it meant she was one step closer to freeing her patron. Who's to say she won't wait until you're naked under her before carving the other crystal from your chest?" Molly shakes his head, then laughs. "Or maybe that's the kind of thing you're into, I don't know. Regardless, we're not talking about you—" 

"No? Sounds an awful lot like it's about me." 

"—we're talking about Jester."

Fjord goes still, locked up fast like there's spellcraft holding him in place. "What about Jester?"

"Don't play the fool, Fjord—I know there's not a lot going on upstairs but give _thinking_ a try anyway. You know she cares for you, and what's she supposed to make of any of this? That you kiss her in the same day you take Avantika to bed?"

Fjord shifts his weight, looking uncomfortable. "What's going on with Avantika has nothing to do with Jester. It's just—sex."

"Does she know that?"

"Who?"

Molly laughs, humorless. "The fact that you have to ask should illustrate what a fucked situation this is. _Either_ of them."

"Avantika's not much of the sentimental type—can't imagine she'd be buildin' us up into something more. And Jester doesn't know about it anyway, so. No harm done."

 _Gods—how much seawater must you have swilling around your brain that you can't hear yourself?_ Granted, it's not as if Molly himself is a stranger to such casual romantic affairs—often, indeed, with more than one partner at a time—but at least he's got enough common sense to ensure everyone's on the same page about it. Not this. Not sneaking around with a zealot Captain who'd as soon see Fjord converted as dead, whichever better served her purpose. 

"Just answer me this—do you care about her?"

"Jester?"

 _Idiot_. "Yes, Jester."

"Fuck kind of question is that?" He sounds hurt—or incredulous, maybe. Either way, Molly takes it as a good sign. "Of course I care about her. Trust when I say that if only one of us was going to make it out of that temple, I'd have wanted it to be her. Was more'n ready for that outcome, too."

"And—don't get me wrong—the whole giving-her-your-last-breath was a very gallant gesture and all, but the shit you're pulling now? None of it strikes me as the move of a man who cares. Doesn't even seem like the actions of someone who's her friend. If you're not interested in Jester, that's fine, but at least do her the courtesy of making that clear instead of letting her find you shacked up between another woman's legs—"

" _Fuck_ , Molly."

"—and if you _are_ interested, then pull your fucking head out of your fucking ass and have that conversation with her. At the very least, make a decision about which of them you want, because if Jester comes to any harm as a result of your bullshit, be damned with Uk'otoa and Avantika—I will bleed you dry myself."

It's a shame he doesn't have Yasha's wings, because he wouldn't mind putting the fear of god into Fjord right now—any god, he's not choosy. The burnt pits of his own eyes will have to do. Molly waits an extra moment to be sure Fjord's understood his seriousness, then rises from his perch on the barrel and opens the door for the both of them.

"You know, you are fucking terrifyin' when you want to be, Tealeaf," Fjord says as they step out into the hallway.

"Indeed I am. Better for both of us if you don't see that side of me again."


End file.
